Bingo is a game of chance played with randomly drawn numbers using Bingo balls. Players match numbers drawn to pre-printed 5″×5″ matrices. The matrices may be printed on paper, card stock, or electrometrically represented and are referred to as cards. In many versions, the game is concluded when a first person achieves a specified pattern on his or her card. The winner is usually required to call out the word “Bingo” to alert other players and the caller of a possible win. All wins are checked for accuracy by having a “floor person” call out the numbers marked on the card, while another manually checks the number against the drawn balls. Once verified, the win is officially confirmed, a prize is handed out, and a new game begins. In such a version of Bingo, players compete against each other for the prize or jackpot.
Alternative methods of play have been developed to increase participation and create excitement. Since the invention of Bingo in 1934, multiple variations, abiding by each jurisdiction's gambling laws, have been created. Such variations include an almost limitless number of patterns specified for play. For example, only one number may need to be matched, the entire card may need to be covered, or the last player to fail to match a specified pattern may be deemed the winner.
Most commonly, Bingo cards are flat pieces of disposable paper which contain 25 squares arranged in five vertical columns and five horizontal rows. Typically, the game is played utilizing 75 numbers. The letters BINGO are pre-printed above the five vertical columns, with one letter appearing above each column. The center space is usually marked “Free” and is given to each player at the start of the game. The printed numbers on the card commonly correspond to numbers as follows: 1 to 15 in the B column, 16 to 30 in the I column, 31 to 45 in the N column, 46 to 60 in the G column, and 61 to 75 in the O column.
While almost every child in the United States has played Bingo at some time, in some settings the stakes are high and the regulations are strict. A large number of Bingo halls are rented out to sponsoring organizations, and churches and charity organizations often run Bingo games. Several random number generation methods are used to draw numbers in the Bingo game. Most states require a mechanical ball drawing mechanism which uses a ball blower that mixes ping pong balls with blown air or a cage which is turned to mix the balls. The balls must be of equal size, shape, and weight distribution to ensure the most random drawing possible.
As described above, the prior art Bingo game has remained essentially unmodified since the 1930s. It is a largely manual system which may have a fair amount of down time. Every time a person calls “Bingo!” a fact checker must run through the numbers drawn and the numbers on the card to check for a Bingo. Likewise, a person must physically pull out each ball as it's drawn and place it into a hopper, arranged by ball number, so that when the fact checking time comes, the ball's drawing can be verified.
What is needed in the art of Bingo games is a way to add more excitement to the game. What is further needed is a method of decreasing down time and providing faster action. Still further, there is a need for a method of increasing accuracy and decreasing the possibility of a game to be fixed or cheated.